This invention relates generally to athletic training aids and, more specifically, to a wrist band device worn by a basketball player on his or her shooting arm during practice sessions to indicate proper follow through of the wrist, hand and fingers of the shooting hand upon release of a basketball during the course of taking a set shot, jump shot or free throw.
Generally speaking, several devices for training proper basketball shooting technique to improve shooting accuracy are known in the prior art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,783 issued to G. W. Caveness on June 28, 1974, which discloses a transversely extending gauge bar connected to a belt or harness which indicates the height to which a shooter's elbow should be raised before extending the forearm to shoot a basketball. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,284, issued to John Oberlin on Mar. 22, 1983, which illustrates a pair of sleeves, which fit snugly over the forearms near the elbows, which are interconnected with a stretchable, flexible band, tending to hold the shooter's elbows in close proximity when making practice shots. U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,685 issued to L. E. Bishop on May 17, 1983, shows a basketball shooter's training aid consisting of a vest worn by a player, a curved guide bar pivotally mounted on the vest, an elastic elbow sleeve worn on the player's shooting arm and slidably attached to the curved guide bar, and a bracing assembly connected between the guide bar and the vest to maintain proper alignment of the bar. Lastly, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,341, issued to G. H. Furr on Apr. 1, 1986, which discloses a basketball player's shooting guide. The guide includes a body harness to the back of which is attached a forwardly projecting L-shaped arm guide rod, which extends across the outside of the player's shooting arm and tends to control his upper arm so that his elbow will move in a vertical plane and remain under the ball during the course of a shot.
None of these prior art devices deal with the major problem of proper follow through of the wrist, hand and fingers of the shooting arm following release of the basketball during the course of taking a set shot, jump shot or free throw. Smooth, continuous and complete follow through movement of the hand, wrist and fingers of the shooting arm as opposed to sudden, stopping of the movement of the hand, wrist and fingers upon release of the ball has to come to be regarded as extremely important in relation to shooting accuracy and effective shooting range.
By means of my invention, a training aid is now provided, which addresses the important problem of proper follow through of the shooting hand, wrist and fingers.